WE ARE ENOUGH

The One Where They Meet

The day that Christie and I met seemed like any other ordinary day. It was slightly over-cast and grey, a cool crisp winters morning. Rugged up in our 'Tassie' uniforms, sipping hot coffee from our keep-cups, we crunched along the wet sand of my local beach. Two strangers starting up a conversation, awkwardly trying to reach out and make a connection. I had recently separated from my husband of 10 years and had reached out to her through a Facebook post she had made. It seemed strange being in my 40's and responding to someone's ad seeking new friends but here I was none the less, taking a risk and trying to move forward in my life.

We connected instantly. No awkward silences at all, embarrassment not necessary. By the end of that long stroll down the beach I had already, comfortably, shared with her my infertility failures and she her tale of fleeing her abusive ex-husband, with me. It wasn't something I was planning on doing, nor Christie I am sure. You don't meet someone for the first time and instantly tell them your darkest secrets, but we certainly did! It just felt that natural.

A Time For Growth

Fast forward to a year later. What a rollercoaster ride of adventure, of learning, of physical change and spiritual growth it has been. We have discovered a mutual love for hiking and live music, for red wine, for long epic movies featuring elves and men. We have fully delved into our past histories, all the grand and gory details. We have discovered a bond around our creative sides. Christie is an amazing photographer but she has had to let her passion for it become a back-seat in her ventures in caring for other people. I myself have wanted to write a book about my fertility journey for the longest time and am only now finding my inner wise-woman is ready and strong enough to get that all out, get it down on paper and out of my body. We decided to combine our two passions and do something impactful. Something we could present to the world and say "Look here! See what's been done to us? See what had been said to us? See what damage those words truly do? See the scars you left behind?"

Words

We wrote down words. Words that had been said to hurt and inflict pain. Words that had been said in an off-hand manner but that had long lasting effects. Words that had been said by medical professionals, people in positions of power. Words that had been said by people we trusted and were supposed to love us. Words we had been taught as girls to think about ourselves. We thought it would be hard. We thought it would trigger harsh, cold feelings, feelings we had desperately been trying to avoid. But it didn't, not at all. Once we got going and dived into that well of emotion it flowed out of us, like water from a slightly rusty tap, sputtering at first and then finally gushing out. It was such a rush. A rush of emotion, a rush of relief, a rush to get all those words out in the open.

Then we got naked. We wrote those words, those nasty and belittling words, all over our bodies in dark, black, bold writing. We covered our nipples with duct tape and wore small black G-strings. As women we often feel gagged by society so we wrote the word Enough on a piece of tape and smothered our mouths. We stood with our hands, bound, behind our backs to represent the ties our world puts on us as women, the constraints we must wear to fit-in, to conform. I thought it would make me feel uncomfortable. I thought it would bring up old emotions that I had struggled to work through, struggled to work past. I thought it would rip open old wounds, make me feel dirty somehow and make my skin crawl when I saw those words that had been used against me, those words that I had been telling myself for so long. But I was wrong.

The One Where We Healed

How it felt, honestly, was powerful. I felt so freaking powerful. It felt like those words now were mine. Mine to display how I saw fit. I could finally show them to the world without feeling ashamed or judged. Without feeling pain or hurt. No more hiding away. No more sacrificing my mental well-being for the comfort of others. I felt like my inner wise-woman was jumping up and down, screaming with happiness, screaming with pride and with joy that I was fully listening to her and reclaiming myself. Reclaiming my body and crying ENOUGH. Reclaiming my mind and shouting ENOUGH. Enough to these prejudice's. Enough to these ancient views. Enough to bigoted people who don't think about the consequences of their words. The consequences of their actions. I stood with those words written on me and I took back my power. I took back my self-worth and I took back the right to just be me. Beautiful, broken, imperfect, strong, wonderful, POWERFUL me!

We ARE Enough

This is how the We ARE Enough Art Project was born. In the beginning all we wanted was to do this for ourselves, we needed to and we certainly achieved that. But it was no longer big enough, it was no longer just about us. The experience was so cathartic that we wanted to offer it to other women, to ALL women. We want to create an art piece so profound, so confronting and impactful it hurts to look at it. An art piece that shines a spotlight on how society treats women and screams back into its face, a face that still has its eyes screwed up tight against the truth, ENOUGH. A piece that can't be ignored, that can't be silenced, that can't be swept under the rug and forgotten. We want to create long-lasting societal change that starts with us and ripples out, firstly through our participants and then through them out into the world.

When you find your purpose in life it feels freaking amazing! Like nothing else I have ever experienced. I can't think about anything else. All I want to be doing is this. I can't sleep, I can't eat. I have filled countless notebooks with ideas, thoughts and ramblings. Our vision is constantly evolving. When I found my purpose everything fell into alignment and I finally know why everything happened to me the way it did. I can take comfort in the bad if it means I can help bring change to the world, the world of women. How we are seen. How we are treated. What is said to us, how we are made to feel about ourselves just because we ARE women.

We ARE Enough Mission Statement To change the world for women One woman One voice One image One Life story at a time

We want YOU!

We are asking 1600 women to join us in the making of the biggest art piece of it's kind. We want to exhibit it in a space where it can have the biggest impact and people from all around the world can view it. We want to start a conversation that doesn't end. We want people to start thinking about the power of their words. We want people to understand the impact of what we tell our little girls and how it affects the women they grow up to be. We want women to fall in love with themselves. We want women to be recognised for who and what they are. We want them to stand proud and strong, brave and beautiful and take back their power. We want them to stand together and SCREAM at the world it's ENOUGH. No more, we wont take it any more. It's ENOUGH.

I am not going to lie. An undertaking of this size is not going to come cheap. The costs are already stacking up. We have begun photo shoots and have already met many different women, all with their own story to tell, all wanting to do something to help bring about change. Every time we hear them speak and they tell us their stories we gain more and more insight into the trials we, as women, face. Every time we hear those stories we feel the need to do this project that much stronger. This is something that needs to exist. We need to listen and they need to be heard. There is so much wisdom in these women. So much strength, unlimited courage and the desire to make things better, to make things right. We want to talk to as many women as we can. 1600 is our goal. We want them to be from all walks of life, all cultures and backgrounds. We want to go to where they are. We want to listen to their words and write them on their bodies for the entire world to see in big, bold writing. We want to watch the healing take place in front of us. We want to see it in their eyes and on their faces. We want to hear it in their voices and in the way they carry them selves when they walk back out into the world. We want the face of society to open those screwed up eyes and really see, for the first time, what it means to be a woman in our world.

We ARE Enough Membership

Membership to the We ARE Enough Art Project will include: Full access to our blog. Follow us on our journey as we drive around Australia in our mobile studio meeting and photographing 1600 women from all walks of life for our epic 'we ARE Enough' art piece. Including access to our behind-the-scenes videos.

Want to become a participant? Become a member and find out when we will be in your area and book your shoot. See what's involved, ask questions, recieve your information pack. Easy and fast messaging capabilities to contact and speak to Christie and Amanda. Watch our running tally of shoots as we photograph our way to 1600. Recieve an invitation to our special participants only lounge.

Want to support but not get naked? Become a member and help spread the word. Click the donate button and send the 'we ARE Enough' art project some much needed funds, keep us on the road and our liquid eyeliners fully stocked! Have an organisation that might like to sponsor us? Get in contact with Amanda and Christie and see what's needed to keep our camera clicking!

Weekly mental health affirmations, challenges and self-care tips.

1st access to information regarding the exhibition as it becomes available. Access to ticket options. Virtual tour of finished piece.

1st access to merchandise as and when it becomes available.

Special Gold-Star, participant only members lounge: A safe space for all 1600 women participants, after the completion of their photo shoots, to be invited to join by Christie and Amanda. To meet and chat to other participants. Keep up-to-date with participant only information about Amanda and Christie's progress. To talk and to be heard, without judgment or shame, a place to feel safe and share their experiences as a part of the 'we ARE Enough' art project. A discount code for a reduction in membership fee for all participants.

Wether you join us or support us, it's time to stand together and scream WE ARE ENOUGH.